Ute ladies'-tresses
(Spiranthes diluvialis)

Currently known from Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

Official Status:

Threatened

Life History:

Ute ladies'-tresses
is a perennial, terrestrial orchid with 7 to 32-inch stems
arising from tuberously thickened roots. The flowering
stalk consists of few to many small white or ivory flowers
clustered into a spiraling spike arrangement at the top
of the stem. The species is characterized by whitish,
stout flowers. It blooms, generally, from late July through
August.

Distribution and Habitat:

The orchid occurs along riparian edges, gravel bars, old oxbows, high flow channels, and moist to wet meadows along perennial streams. It typically occurs in stable wetland and seepy areas associated with old landscape features within historical floodplains of major rivers, as well as in wetlands and seeps near freshwater lakes or springs. Ute ladies'-tresses ranges in elevation from 720 to 1,830 ft in Washington to 7,000 ft in northern Utah. Nearly all occupied sites have a high water table (usually within 5 to 18 inches) of the surface augmented by seasonal flooding, snowmelt, runoff and irrigation. States in which Spiranthes diluvialis is known to occur: Currently known from Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. Countries in which Spiranthes diluvialis is known to occur: United States.

Threats:

habitat loss and modification and the orchid’s small population and low reproductive rate make it vulnerable to other threats